Runner Tackles The Tour De France … On Foot

Zoe Romano has completed one week – and one and a half Tour stages – of her latest adventure. (Courtesy of Alex Kreher and World Pediatric Project)

In 2011, endurance runner Zoe Romano became the first female to run across the United States without the help of a support crew. She covered 2800 miles at a pace of about 30 miles a day.

Last week, Romano began her latest quest: to run the entire route of the Tour de France without the assistance of gears or wheels. That journey is shorter, just a little over 2000 miles, but will include elevation changes equal to three and a half Mount Everest climbs.

“I knew I wanted to do another adventure and I wanted to make it, you know, a worthy follow up to a run across the U.S.,” Romano told Bill Littlefield on Only A Game. “It’s sort of a way for me to pay respect to cycling but also sort of be, kind of a rascal, you know, I’m going to run your sports toughest race on foot and see if I can do it.”

Romano has a support vehicle for her Tour de France adventure. Her boyfriend, Alex, is manning the wheel. He’s also filming a documentary about the journey. “Some roads are not always accessible by car,” Romano said. “But he’s there when I need him.”

“We got to meet their patients and we got to see what they do in the field and we were just really impressed by the quality of care that they provide,” Romano said. “So, it’s not just that they go down and provide surgeries and leave. It’s really a long term medical care.”

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